Shave Gel Composition Containing Polyglyceryl Ester Surfactant

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a shaving composition in the form of a post-foaming gel that contains a polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant. In particular the shaving composition comprises, in percent by weight, about 60% to about 93%, preferably about 70% to about 85%, water, about 2% to about 25%, preferably about 5% to about 20%, water dispersible (or soluble) surface active agent capable of forming a lather, about 1% to about 6%, preferably about 2% to about 5%, volatile post-foaming agent, and about 0.5% to about 5%, preferably about 1% to about 3%, polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to post-foaming shave gel compositionsthat contain a polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant.

Currently, a widely used form of shaving preparation is the typereferred to as a post-foaming shave gel. These post-foaming shave gelsare now well-known and have been described, for example, in U.S. Pat.No. 2,995,521 (Bluard), U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,581 (Monson), U.S. Pat. No.4,405,489 (Sisbarro), U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,111 (Su), U.S. Pat. No.4,651,503 (Anderson), U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,495 (Patterson), U.S. Pat. No.5,308,643 (Osipow), U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,556 (Barnet), U.S. Pat. No.5,500,211 (George), U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,859 (Hartmann) and U.S. Pat. No.5,858,343 (Szymczak). Such compositions generally take the form of anoil-in-water emulsion in which the post-foaming agent, generally avolatile (i.e., low boiling point) aliphatic hydrocarbon, is solubilizedin the oil phase, and the water phase comprises a water-dispersible soapor interrupted soap component. The product is generally packaged in anaerosol container with a barrier, such as a piston or collapsible bag,to separate the post-foaming gel from the propellant required forexpulsion of the product. The product is dispensed as a clear,translucent or opaque gel that is substantially free from foaming untilit is spread over the skin, at which time it produces a foam lathergenerated by the volatilization of the volatile hydrocarbon foamingagent.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,874 (Gabby) discloses a soap-free aerosol shavingcream containing a polyglycerol fatty ester (e.g., triglycerolmonostearate, decaglycerol distearate) and a water insoluble pulverulentbodying agent such as dextran, cellulose, talc, silica, sodiumsilicoaluminate and clay. However, such a product is not a shave gel andwould not have good application aesthetics.

It would be highly desirable to provide a post-foaming shave gelcomposition that has excellent lubricity and emolliency without dryingor irritating the skin, and without sacrificing any of the performancecharacteristics of conventional shave gels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention embraces a shaving composition in the form of apost-foaming gel that contains a polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant. Inparticular the shaving composition comprises, in percent by weight,about 60% to about 93%, preferably about 70% to about 85%, water, about2% to about 25%, preferably about 5% to about 20%, water dispersible (orsoluble) surface active agent capable of forming a lather, about 1% toabout 6%, preferably about 2% to about 5%, volatile post-foaming agent,and about 0.5% to about 5%, preferably about 1% to about 3%,polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The term “fatty”, as used herein, means a hydrocarbon chain having 12-22carbon atoms (C₁₂₋₂₂). The chain may be straight or branched and may besaturated or unsaturated (typically one or two double bonds in thechain).

The polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant provides a soft, moisturizingskin feel. Ideally, it will have an HLB of at least 9 or greater,preferably at least 10 or greater, more preferably at least 12 orgreater. The polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant has the formula

wherein n is 1 to 10, preferably 4 to 8, andX is a hydrogen atom or a long chain acyl group (as defined below),provided that at least one X is a long chain acyl group, and preferablyno more than three X's are long chain acyl groups. Most preferably nomore than two X's are long chain acyl groups. The long chain acyl groupmay be derived from a C₁₂₋₂₂ fatty acid or an N-fatty acyl-neutral aminoacid. (By the terminology the acyl group may be derived from aparticular acid is meant simply that the OH group of the acid R—COOH isremoved to yield the corresponding acyl group R—CO—.) Thus, thepolyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant may be a polyglyceryl C₁₂₋₂₂ fattyacid ester or a polyglyceryl N-fatty acyl aminoacid ester.

The long chain acyl group is preferably derived from a C₁₂₋₂₂ fattyacid. Thus, typical long chain acyl groups of this type include, forexample, lauroyl, myristoyl, palmitoyl, stearoyl, isostearoyl, oleoyl,linoleoyl, and behenoyl. As mentioned above, the polyglyceryl ester willhave at least one fatty acyl group, but preferably no more than threefatty acyl groups, in the molecule. Accordingly, when the acyl group isoleoyl, then the polyglyceryl ester will be named polyglyceryl-(n+2)(mono-, di- or tri-) oleate, where (n+2) is the degree of polymerizationof the glycerol moiety (where n is as defined above) and is, thus, aninteger from 3 to 12, preferably 6 to 10. Examples of suitablepolyglyceryl fatty esters include, but are not limited to,polyglyceryl-10 oleate (also known as decaglycerol monooleate),polyglyceryl-6 stearate (also known as hexaglycerol monostearate),polyglyceryl-10 stearate (also known as decaglycerol monostearate),polyglyceryl-8 dipalmitate (also known as octaglycerol dipalmitate),polyglyceryl-10 dipalmitate (also known as decaglycerol dipalmitate),polyglyceryl-10 behenate (also known as decaglycerol monobehenate), andpolyglyceryl-12 trilaurate (also known as dodecaglycerol trilaurate).

Alternatively, the long chain acyl group may also be derived from anN-fatty acyl-neutral amino acid. The fatty acyl moiety may be a C₁₂₋₂₂fatty acyl group as described above (e.g., lauroyl, myristoyl, stearoyl,oleoyl, etc.). The neutral amino acid may be any short chain (i.e., 2 to4 carbon atoms) amino acid such as glycine, alanine, β-alanine,aminobutyric acid, α-aminobutyric acid, N-methyl-β-alanine, andsarcosine. Sarcosine is preferred, in which case the long chain acylgroup is N-fatty acyl-sarcosyl, and the polyglyceryl ester is apolyglyceryl N-fatty acyl-sarcosinate. Thus, suitable long chain acylgroups of this type include, for example, those derived fromN-lauroyl-sarcosine, N-myristoyl-sarcosine, N-stearoyl-sarcosine,N-oleoyl-sarcosine, etc. Accordingly, examples of suitable polyglycerylN-fatty acyl amino acid esters include, but are not limited to,polyglyceryl-10 N-stearoyl-sarcosinate (also known as decaglycerolmono-(N-stearoyl-sarcosinate)), polyglyceryl-10 N-lauroyl-sarcosinate(also known as decaglycerol mono-(N-lauroyl-sarcosinate)),polyglyceryl-8 di-(N-myristoyl-sarcosinate) (also known as octaglyceroldi-(N-myristoyl-sarcosinate)), and polyglyceryl-12tri-(N-lauroyl-sarcosinate) (also known as dodecaglyceroltri-(N-lauroyl-sarcosinate)).

The water dispersible surface active agent capable of forming a lathermay comprise a soap, an interrupted soap, a detergent, an anionicsurfactant, or a mixture of one or more of these. The soaps include, forexample, the sodium, potassium and lower alkanolamine (preferablytriethanolamine) salts of C₁₂₋₂₂, preferably C₁₂₋₁₈, fatty acids.Typical fatty acids include lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acidand mixtures thereof. The preferred fatty acids are palmitic andstearic. The interrupted soaps include, for example, the sodium,potassium and lower alkanolamine (preferably triethanolamine) salts ofN-fatty acyl sarcosines, wherein the fatty acyl moiety has 12 to 22,preferably 12 to 18, carbon atoms. Typical sarcosines include stearoylsarcosine, myristoyl sarcosine, palmitoyl sarcosine, oleoyl sarcosine,lauroyl sarcosine, cocoyl sarcosine and mixtures thereof. The soaps andthe interrupted soaps may be utilized in preneutralized form (i.e., asthe sodium, potassium or alkanolamine salt) or in the free acid formfollowed by subsequent neutralization with sodium hydroxide, potassiumhydroxide and/or lower alkanolamine (preferably triethanolamine). In anyevent, the final composition must contain sufficient base to neutralizeor partially neutralize the soap component and adjust the pH to thedesired level (typically between 5 and 8). It is most preferred that thecompositions of the present invention include a soap.

The post-foaming agent may be any volatile hydrocarbon orhalohydrocarbon with a sufficiently low boiling point that it willvolatilize and foam the gel upon application to the skin, but not so lowthat it causes the gel to foam prematurely. The typical boiling point ofsuch an agent generally falls within the range of −20° to 40° C.Preferred post-foaming agents are selected from saturated aliphatichydrocarbons having 4 to 6 carbon atoms, such as n-pentane, isopentane,neopentane, n-butane, isobutane, and mixtures thereof. Most preferred isa mixture of isopentane and isobutane in a weight ratio (IP:IB) of about1:1 to about 9:1, preferably about 2:1 to about 7:1, most preferablyabout 3:1. The post-foaming agent will normally be selected so as toprovide a vapor pressure at 20° C. of about 3 to about 20 psig,preferably about 5 to about 15 psig. The post-foaming agent will bepresent in an amount to provide the shaving composition with asufficiently rapid turnover—that is, transition from gel to foam whencontacted with the skin—typically, in about 2 to about 30 seconds,preferably in about 5 to about 15 seconds.

Although not necessary to forming a useful shaving composition, othercosmetic ingredients may be advantageously added to improve theapplication aesthetics and/or achieve other shave benefits. For example,the composition may include one or more of the following components:beard wetting agents, skin conditioning agents (e.g., vitamins A, C andE, aloe, allantoin, panthenol, alpha-hydroxy acids, phospholipids,triglycerides, botanical oils, amino acids), foam boosters, emollients,humectants (e.g., glycerin, sorbitol, propylene glycol), fragrances,colorants, antioxidants, preservatives, etc.

The shaving composition may include a non-ionic and/or amphotericsurfactant, typically in an amount of about 1% to about 6%, preferablyabout 2% to about 5%, by weight. Suitable non-ionic surfactants includethe polyoxyethylene ethers of fatty alcohols and vegetable oils(glycerides) and fatty amides, particularly the alkyl-substituted fattyamides. These surfactants will generally have about 6 to about 100,preferably about 20 to about 50, ethylene oxide units per molecule.Typical non-ionic surfactants include, for example, PEG-40 hydrogenatedcastor oil and Laureth-23. Suitable amphoteric surfactants include, forexample, the betaines and sultaines such as cocoamidopropyl betaine,coco dimethyl carboxymethyl betaine, coco sultaine and the like.

It may be advantageous to include a sorbitan fatty ester or a sucrosefatty ester, typically in an amount of about 0.1% to about 3%,preferably about 0.3% to about 2%, by weight. These materials havemultifunctional properties of emulsifier, moisturizer and anti-irritant.Sorbitan fatty esters include sorbitan stearate, sorbitan oleate,sorbitan isostearate, sorbitan laurate, sorbitan dioleate, etc. Sucrosefatty esters include sucrose stearate, sucrose oleate, sucroseisostearate, sucrose cocoate, sucrose distearate, etc. The sorbitanesters and sucrose esters may be mixtures of mono-, di- and tri-esters.

It may also be desirable to include an ester of a fatty acid and a fattyalcohol, wherein each fatty chain has from 12 to 22 carbon atoms,typically in an amount of about 0.5% to about 5%, preferably about 1% toabout 3%, by weight. Preferably at least one of the fatty chains will bebranched and at least one of the fatty chains will be unsaturated.Useful fatty esters include, for example, isostearyl linoleate, isocetyloleate, isostearyl isostearate and isocetyl behenate. These materialsprovide both emolliency and lubrication.

It may further be desirable to include a propoxylated fatty amide,typically in an amount of about 0.5% to about 5%, preferably about 1% toabout 3%, by weight. The propoxylated fatty amide will typically havefrom 1 to 3 propoxyl groups attached to a hydroxyloweralkyl fatty amide.Thus, suitable propoxylated fatty amides include, for example,PPG-2-hydroxyethyl coco/isostearamide, PPG-3-hydroxyethyl linoleamide,and PPG-2-hydroxyethyl cocamide.

The shave gel composition may include a water-soluble gelling aid orthickening agent to improve its consistency and stability, as well as toadjust its viscosity. These may include, for example, hydroxyalkylcellulose polymers such as hydroxyethyl cellulose and hydroxypropylcellulose (sold under the trademarks “Natrosol” and “Klucel”respectively), PEG-150 distearate, carboxymethyl cellulose, andcellulose methyl ether (sold under the trademark “Methocel”). Thegelling aid or thickening agent is typically included in an amount ofabout 0.01% to 5%, preferably about 0.1% to 2%, by weight of thecomposition.

For increased lubricity, the shaving composition may include alubricious water soluble polymer, typically in an amount of about 0.005%to about 2%, preferably about 0.01% to about 0.5%, by weight. Suchpolymers will typically have a molecular weight between about 300,000and 15,000,000 daltons. Suitable polymers include, for example,polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene oxide and polyacrylamide.

The shaving compositions of the present invention may be packaged in anysuitable dispenser normally used for dispensing shaving gels. Theseinclude collapsible tubes, pump or squeeze containers, and aerosol-typedispensers with a barrier to separate the shaving composition from thepropellant required for expulsion. The latter type of dispensersinclude: (1) mechanically pressurized bag-in-sleeve systems in which athin-walled inner bag containing the product is surrounded by an outerelastic sleeve that is expanded during the product filling process andprovides dispensing power to expel the product (e.g., the ATMOS Systemavailable commercially from the Exxel Container Co.); (2) manuallyactivated air pump spray devices in which a pump system is integratedinto the container to allow the user to pressurize the container withair in order to expel the product (e.g., the “AIRSPRAY” system availablefrom Airspray International); (3) piston barrier systems in which theproduct is separated from the driving means by a tight-fitting pistonwhich seals to the side of the container and may be driven by a springunder tension, by a vacuum on the product side of the piston, by fingerpressure, by gas pressure to the piston, or by a variety of other meansknown to the packaging industry; and (4) bag-in-can (SEPRO) systems inwhich the product is contained in a flexible bag within a can, with asuitable propellant injected into the space between the can and theflexible bag. It is preferred to protect the composition from oxidationand heavy metal contamination. This can be achieved, for example, bypurging the composition and container with nitrogen to remove oxygen andby utilizing inert containers (e.g., plastic bottles or bags, aluminumcans or polymer coated or lined cans).

The invention may be further described by the following examples inwhich all parts and percentages are by weight.

Examples 1-4 Post-Foaming Shave Gel

Weight Percent Ingredient Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex. 4 Triethanolamine 5.005.00 5.00 5.00 Palmitic acid 4.13 4.13 4.13 4.13 Stearic acid 4.04 4.044.04 4.04 Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate 1.44 1.44 Polyglyceryl-10 1.44 1.44Dipalmitate Isopentane/isobutane (3:1) 3.85 3.85 3.85 3.85 PEG-40Hydrogenated 3.85 3.85 3.85 3.85 Castor Oil PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl 1.92 1.92Cocamide PPG-3 Hydroxyethyl 1.92 1.92 Linoleamide Isostearyl linoleate1.92 1.92 Isostearyl isostearate 1.92 1.92 Sucrose stearate 0.48 0.48Sorbitan laurate 0.48 0.48 Hydroxyethyl cellulose 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.29Fragrance 0.77 0.77 0.77 0.77 Preservative/Antioxidant 0.03 0.03 0.030.03 Polyox Coagulant 0.01 0.01 Polyacrylamide 0.01 0.01 Water 72.2772.27 72.27 72.27

The above-described compositions are made in the following manner: Thewater soluble components (e.g., the polymers) are added to water andmixed until the polymers are completely dissolved (about 30 min.). Theaqueous mixture is then heated and the fatty acids are added at about60° C. and well mixed while the heating continues. At 80-85° C. thetriethanolamine is added and mixed for about 30 minutes to form theaqueous soap phase. The oil phase components (i.e., Polyglyceryl-10oleate, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, PPG-2 hydroxyethyl cocamide,isostearyl linoleate, sucrose stearate) are separately mixed and melted,then added to the aqueous soap phase at about 75-80° C. and mixed forabout 30 minutes. While cooling this emulsion, the remaining ingredients(e.g., dye, fragrance, antioxidant, preservative) are added below about40° C. and mixed well. The concentrate (at about 30° C.) is thencombined with the volatile post-foaming agent within the filling lineand filled into bottom-gassed aerosol cans through the valve undernitrogen pressure.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed for illustrative purposes, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which isdefined by the claims which follow.

1-13. (canceled)
 14. A shaving composition in the form of a post-foaminggel comprising, in percent by weight: a. about 60% to about 93% water,b. about 2% to about 25% water dispersible surface active agent c. about1% to about 6% volatile post-foaming agent, and d. about 0.5% to about5% polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant, wherein the polyglyceryl fattyester surfactant has the formula:

wherein n is 1 to 10, and X is a hydrogen atom or a long chain acylgroup derived from a C₁₂₋₂₂ fatty acid or an N-fatty acyl-neutral aminoacid, provided that at least one X is a long chain acyl group and nomore than three X's are long chain acyl groups.
 15. The shavingcomposition of claim 14 wherein the polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactantis selected from the group consisting of: polyglyceryl-10 oleate,polyglyceryl-6 stearate, polyglyceryl-10 stearate, polyglyceryl-8dipalmitate, polyglyceryl-10 dipalmitate, polyglyceryl-10 behenate, andpolyglyceryl-12 trilaurate.
 16. The shaving composition of claim 15,further comprising sucrose fatty ester at a level of from about 0.1% toabout 3%.
 17. The shaving composition of claim 16, wherein the sucrosefatty ester comprises at least one of sucrose stearate, sucrose oleate,sucrose isostearate, sorbitan cocoate, sorbitan distearate.
 18. Theshaving composition of claim 17, wherein the sucrose fatty ester is atleast one of a mono-, di-, and tri-ester, and mixtures thereof.
 19. Theshaving composition of claim 15, further comprising from about 0.5% toabout 5% of a propoxylated fatty amide.
 20. The shaving composition ofclaim 17, further comprising from about 0.5% to about 5% of apropoxylated fatty amide.
 21. The shaving composition of claim 19,wherein the propoxylated fatty amide is selected from the groupconsisting of: PPG-2-hydroxyethyl coco/isostearamide, PPG-3-hydroxyethyllinoleamide, and PPG-2-hyroxyethyl cocamide.
 22. The shaving compositionof claim 14, wherein the polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant comprisespolyglyceryl-10 oleate, said composition further comprising a sucrosestearate and PPG-2-hyroxyethyl cocamide.
 23. The shaving composition ofclaim 14, further comprising from about 0.01% to 5% of a water-solublegelling aid.
 24. The shaving composition of claim 23, where the watersoluble gelling aid selected from the group consisting of: hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, PEG-150 distearate, carboxymethylcellulose, and cellulose methyl ether.
 25. The shaving composition ofclaim 14, further comprising from about 0.005% to 2% of a water-solublepolymer.
 26. The shaving composition of claim 25, wherein the watersoluble polymer has a molecular weight between about 300,000 and15,000,000 daltons.
 27. The shaving composition of claim 25, wherein thewater soluble polymer is selected from the group consisting ofpolyvinylpyrrolione, polyethylene oxide, and polyacrylamide.
 28. Theshaving composition of claim 14, further comprising from about 1% toabout 6% of a non-ionic and/or amphoteric surfactant.
 29. The shavingcomposition of claim 28, wherein the non-ionic and/or amphotericsurfactant is selected from the group consisting of glycerides and fattyamides, having from about 6 to about 100 ethylen oxide units permolecule.
 30. The shaving composition of claim 28, wherein the non-ionicand/or amphoteric surfactant is selected from the group consisting ofPEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil and Laureth-23.
 31. The shavingcomposition of claim 28, wherein the non-ionic and/or amphotericsurfactant is selected from the group consisting of betainies andsultaines.
 32. The shaving composition of claim 28, wherein thenon-ionic and/or amphoteric surfactant is selected from the groupconsisting of cocoamidopropyl betaine, cocodimethyl carboxymethylbetaine, and coco sultaine.
 33. A shaving composition in the form of apost-foaming gel comprising, in percent by weight: a. about 70% to about85% water, b. about 5% to about 20% water dispersible surface activeagent c. about 2% to about 5% volatile post-foaming agent, and d. about1% to about 3% polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant, wherein thepolyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant has the formula:

wherein n is 1 to 10, and X is a hydrogen atom or a long chain acylgroup derived from a C₁₂₋₂₂ fatty acid or an N-fatty acyl-neutral aminoacid, provided that at least one X is a long chain acyl group and nomore than three X's are long chain acyl groups.